Between Reality And Dreams
by faraday-gone
Summary: Vash witnesses the violent death of Meryl in a dream and, upon awakening, goes in search of her.. Though it appears she's been waiting for him.


A/N: Well here it is, my first Trigun fanfic. The pairing is Vash/Meryl and I'm not exactly sure how far I'll dare to push the rating. I'd appreciate any and all advice on the subject. Please don't forget to review.  
  
Between Reality and Dreams  
  
Chapter 1. Cry  
  
The thin bedding clung greedily to his sweat drenched body, suffocating his pores and increasing the feel of claustrophobia. Vash had been dreaming again. He could never remember the happy or pleasant ones upon awakening. They'd dissolve like granules of sugar in warm water, leaving the horrific visions of death and misery to embed themselves on his brain, reminiscent of epitaphs in their implied meaning and permanence.  
  
People, places, and emotions swirled in the depths of his mind, parsed lips still recovering from the agonizingly silent cry. More like a scream...  
  
They occurred only during the most terrifying of circumstances, sending your muscles into spasms as the inaudible noise twisted and wrenched within the confines of primitive vocal cords; not yet able to produce such a frequency. Terror eats away at you, turning the mind and spirit into a quivering mass of jelly.  
  
He couldn't afford to fall apart.  
  
Vash calmed his breathing, preparing for the next task. Studying the hidden message was of utmost importance should he desire to prevent a repeat performance. Trying to recall images in the most accurate detail, the human typhoon allowed him self to slip back to the hellish world where his deepest and darkest fears lie in waiting.  
  
A fog slowly lifted from his memory, revealing a man and woman fighting. Counterattacking his opponent's aggressive movements, the male tackled her, using his mass advantage and barbed wire to bind her limbs. She wriggled in frustration, evidently cursing and spitting as she went.  
  
A hard kick to the ribs sent the petite female careening down a small dune. She halted in a face up position, arms trapped beneath her. Gravity pressed the razor sharp metal further into the flesh of her wrists and back, clotting the sand below in shades of crimson.  
  
Vash froze, hearing his name murmured on the wind.  
  
It was Meryl, and she was being murdered right in front of him. A faceless man kept beating the insurance girl senseless, willing her to cry out in agony. The sound never came, but the raw and bloodied state of her lower lip spoke volumes.  
  
He had encountered this dream before, one of powerless observation, ultimate suffering.  
  
There seemed to be a vast difference between this rendition and the previous ones, though. It was much more brutal and he never came close to seeing her die, always rising to awareness before the fateful moment.  
  
Vash panicked, breaking into fearful sobs when the killer lifted her by the throat, easing his hold once she lost consciousness, then allowing the defenseless woman to recover before repeating the process over again.  
  
~*~  
  
The typhoon tried countless times to interfere, his bullets and fingers merely slipping through the scene unhindered. He wanted to perish along with her.  
  
A loud crack resounded in the seemingly endless desert, throwing the plant's jumbled thoughts into greater chaos.  
  
The killer's vicious fingers retracted, leaving their victim to fall haphazardly on the sand. Meryl's head lolled in a sickening display, confirming the breaking of vertebrate in her cervical spine.  
  
Her open gray eyes locked on his, causing waves of shock and despair with their undisguised contents. A rush of tears escaped the pleading orbs, an unheard call for help that crushed him with its simplicity. He reached for her, grazing her cheek and trying desperately to recall the silky feel of the pale skin against his callused hands.  
  
A soft smile tugged at Meryl's bloodied lips. She could sense his touch, replying with a few mouthed phrases Vash couldn't decipher. Then it hit him; she was trying to say goodbye.  
  
No, Meryl...don't leave me.  
  
He collapsed at her side when she began to convulse. Labored pants and gasps clawed at his soul, turning to ill-contained rage as the bastard who caused it all left, filling the air with his maniacal laughter.  
  
It was all too real, piercing too close to his already battered heart. Watching the woman he loved exhale for the last time, Vash screamed.  
  
A/N: This is as close as I can come to true angst. The humor genre seems to come to mind more easily but I wanted to try my hand at a more serious plot. I know Chapter 1 is short, I'm making the next one as long as possible without jumping all over the place. Let me know what you think of it so far.  
  
Ja,  
  
MOV 


End file.
